The Jets got the one thing that matters most to start the season: a win. New York handled the Tennessee Titans 23-10, and while the final margin looks comfortable, the game had enough rough edges to keep plenty of attention on what still needs cleaning up.
There were no real surprises on the inactive list. Cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, kick returner Kene Nwangwu, kicker Blake Grupe, linebacker Trevin Wallace, and edge rusher Joseph Ossai were all out.
Jason Sanders was elevated from the practice squad to handle kicking, and his afternoon turned into its own little storyline. He finished 3 of 4 on field goals and made both extra points, though he opened with a miss from 54 yards.
He also came back to hit from 51, then later missed another from 54. In the end, the Jets still had enough offense and enough defense to put the game away.
The early moments gave New York fans plenty to like. Kenyon Sadiq caught the first pass of the Jets’ season and later scored the first touchdown.
Omar Cooper helped set that up with a 30-yard catch-and-run that moved the ball to first-and-goal. It was a sharp start for a team that has spent too long waiting for one.
The first drive of the second half was another strong stretch. New York’s defense got the ball back with a punt, then the offense put together a five-play, 80-yard march. Breece Hall finished it with a four-yard touchdown run even after Tennessee had 12 defenders on the field.
There was also a long, grinding possession that showed both sides of the Jets in one breath. Their third drive lasted 19 plays and 11:48, covered 74 yards, and ended with a field goal for a 10-3 lead.
But it also included a false-start penalty on 3rd-and-one, followed by an incomplete pass that stalled things out. That kind of self-inflicted mess kept popping up.
New York had other chances to build on the lead and didn’t always cash them in. Braelon Allen had a 23-yard touchdown run wiped out by a holding penalty. After a special teams turnover, the Jets managed only two yards in four plays before Sanders’ miss from 54 yards.
The game also brought injury trouble. Omar Cooper Jr. left in the first quarter with an ankle injury, Minkah Fitzpatrick exited with a groin injury, and both were eventually ruled out after being listed as questionable to return. Jarvis Brownlee also suffered a calf injury.
Even with the uneven stretches, the Jets did enough. They scored on their opening possession, won the time-of-possession battle, and walked out with the result they wanted.
The performance wasn’t clean, and against a stronger opponent it might have gone the other way, but Week 1 only asks for a win. New York got one.
The next test comes in Week 2, when the Jets return to MetLife Stadium for their home opener against the Green Bay Packers. The message this week will be simple: if they want to move to 2-0, they’ll need a better all-around effort.
In Other News...
Jets Fans Turned This Win Into A Robert Saleh Referendum
The Jets opened the season with a convincing 23-10 win over Tennessee, and the game quickly turned into something bigger than a routine Week 1 result. New Yorks defense kept the Titans under 200 yards of total offense, while Geno Smith was efficient throughout, finishing 19 of 24 for 215 yards and helping the Jets control the day in a way that had the home crowd buzzing.
What made the afternoon stand out even more was the reaction from the stands, where Jets fans voiced their support for former coach Aaron Glenn while also keeping the focus on the man now on the other sideline. Robert Saleh, fired by the Jets in October 2024, remains a sore spot for plenty of fans, and this win only sharpened that feeling as the postgame mood turned into something of a referendum on his tenure. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Already Have One Uncomfortable Question About Aaron Glenns Kicker
The Jets went into Week 1 with Jason Sanders holding the kicking job, even after a shaky preseason and a competition with Blake Grupe that suggested the position was anything but settled. New York had already shown it was willing to keep the door open on alternatives, including a workout with Justin Tucker, which made Sanders margin for error feel slim from the start.
Sanders then missed a critical fourth-and-8 field goal attempt that would have extended the Jets lead, a miss that only sharpened the uncertainty around his standing. For Aaron Glenn and the Jets, the bigger issue now is less about what happened on one kick and more about whether they can afford to keep waiting for the answer at a position that can swing games fast. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Glenn's Jets Plan Now Comes Down To One Big Test
Aaron Glenn entered this Jets job with a clear identity: a defensive-minded head coach trying to reshape the organization with buy-in, discipline and a steadier foundation. The early read on his approach has been encouraging in the ways that often matter most in a reset year, from the way he connects with players to the way the staff has been built around him, including the additions of Geno Smith and Frank Reich. With Woody Johnson close to the process and 2025 framed as a rebuilding season, the real question is less about flash than whether the roster and the culture can move in the same direction long enough to matter later.
The comparison to Seattles Mike Macdonald is telling because it points to the kind of long-view patience Glenn may need. The Jets are not being judged solely on immediate results right now, even if the season will be difficult to navigate, and there is already a sense that meaningful progress could show up more fully in 2026. For Glenn, the test is whether his message continues to hold up through the grind, when the losses pile up and the easy optimism of a new hire gives way to the harder work of proving the plan can actually take root. [Read more 🡒]